Ghost Blasters

No trip to the Mall Of America is complete without a spin on the 'Ghost Blasters' ride. It is so cheesy (and incredibly expensive!) but my five-year-old loves it. Of course, it has since been replaced has her 'favorite ride' by the big rollercoaster, which she is finally tall enough to ride, but yesterday we had time to go on one ride and, to my surprise, she actually picked Ghost Blasters.

Over the loudspeaker runs a continuous harpsichord tune that is catchy at first, but after twenty-five minutes in line will drive you batty. Other than cleaning up the attraction and recalibrating the guns to make them 'aim' better, the ride has not changed at all over the years - it is one of only a few original rides still standing from the MOA's first themed amusement park: 'Camp Snoopy.'

I love the atmosphere of this ride and, while standing in line, enjoy imagining what I could do to improve it if given the chance (which is A LOT - remember, this is an extremely cheesy ride). Also while standing in line I amuse myself by feigning fear and protesting loudly that I'm too chicken to go on and need to find the exit. My daughter finds great delight in this, and the other patrons in line can only roll their eyes. We pick names for ourselves: my daughter is 'Esmerelda Copperpot,' and I go by the handle of 'Peter Cushing.' Together we are... The Ghost Blasters!

So we finally get in our cart and enter the doors. The room is pitch black, the only illumination being black lights which highlight the lame wood-cut ghosts that pop in and out. You shoot the targets and they moan and wail, all the while the cart tallies up your points (I finally topped 1,000 for the first time yesterday - but I think that has more to do with the recalibration than my aim).

Of course, no matter what I shoot, my daughter always seems to win. Naturally, I'm proud - after all, she is a chip off the old block - the ultimate Ghost Blaster!